Teachers and Union donate 12k to Pontiac School Children for school supplies

Michigan teachers donate supplies to Pontiac schools

Pontiac schools’ faculty members are
elated with the support they received from fellow teachers across
Michigan, who donated $12,000 in cash and gift cards and a truckload of
supplies for classrooms in the struggling district.

Teachers
picked up their supplies at the United Auto Workers Local 653 building
in Pontiac where they were delivered Saturday after a campaign organized
by the Michigan Education Association.

“I have been overwhelmed
with the generosity of teachers and support staff across the state,”
said Aimee McKeever, president of the Pontiac teachers union.

“It
is sad that cuts have put us in this situation,” said McKeever,
referring to the district’s $26 million deficit, which she blames, in
part, on previous administrators.

The $12,000 in gifts will be used to
purchase what other supplies teachers need and to ensure there is paper
and toner available the six schools that have a working copy machine,
she said.

Teachers who don’t have access to a copy machine will
continue to be welcome to use the equipment at the MEA offices in
Bloomfield Hills, McKeever said.

Cynthia
Rush, a teacher at Pontiac’s WHRC Elementary and a PEA member, said:
“It is very heartwarming that so many people have donated so much for
our district despite our economic situation.”

Whitman Elementary School teacher Linda Puas added: “This is so sad and yet so heartwarming. You really feel not alone.”

Doug
Pratt, MEA spokesman said in a press release Monday: “Since the
beginning of the school year, Pontiac teachers have been paying out of
pocket for learning essentials that the school district cannot afford —
paper, writing utensils, copying supplies and more.

“These out-of-pocket expenses come
at a time when staff in Pontiac, like many school employees across the
state, have experienced severe wage and benefit reductions, while paying
significantly more for their retirement benefits,” Pratt said.

Donations
also came from other supporters, such the local UAW and its president,
Michael Warchuck, which donated the hall and $900, and the UAW
International for collecting the donations and providing a trailer to
transport the supplies.

“It
takes a village to raise a child, and school employees help do that job
every day,” said MEA Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trainor said.

“By
making these generous contributions, teachers and support staff have
gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure Pontiac kids have the
basic supplies they need in their classrooms.

“But supply drives
and donations can only go so far. Our state’s elected leaders must do
their part and adequately fund our kids’ schools, so that every Michigan
child can get the good education they need and deserve,” said Trainor.

In
2011-12, public education in Michigan suffered a $1 billion cut in
funding, equating to a $470 reduction in per pupil spending — “all to
help pay for a $1.8 billion tax break for corporate special interests
pushed by Gov. Rick Snyder and his Republican legislative allies,” said
Pratt in the news release.